Statements Written by David Hanson

Professionalism in the field of paranormal investigating is a bit of an oxymoron because we’re not really professionals. We’re amateurs, even if we get paid for it and publish books about it. Those who bring expertise to the field do so usually by way of other professions, and even those who tout being pros on TV are primarily reality television professionals or actors outright. Because of our amateur status, then, we’re all actors of a sort....

Team_Resources--Statements_of_Permission.pdf

We behave in what we think is the manner of a professional, because professional mannerisms and manners leave a good impression on anyone watching—not all of whom, we presume, are alive. And this is where it can get uncomfortable. In fact, the majority of the ghost seeking community shares a common concern about the moral and spiritual consequences of making contact with the dead.

A complex question arises as to whether spirits are a civil class of individuals, as culturally diverse dead as they were alive, who are entitled to rights. Are we proselytizing our beliefs when we presume spirits are lost and need to be crossed-over? Do we violate their sanctity of place and their dignity as non-living persons when we intrude upon their spaces? It’s not as far-fetched as it may sound; there is, after all, legal precedent for it. In many states, realtors are required by law to disclose one or more deaths on the premises, as well as claims of haunting, before closing escrow. Furthermore, land developers typically conduct cultural resources surveys to avoid violating sacred or historically significant sites—nearly identical concerns to ours.

Another question often raised is whether we put ourselves at risk by engaging unseen “energies” in an investigation. Do we make ourselves vulnerable to spiritual violation and undetected attachments? Do we imperil ourselves, like mail carriers stumbling across territorial dogs, or even unwittingly invite spirits, like feral, wandering puppies, to follow us home? Could we even fall under the spiritual, emotional, or psychological influence of what we can’t perceive with our own senses?

It’s for these reasons that conscientious ghost seekers declare their intentions before starting any sort of vigil or investigation. You’re free, of course, to think of these as prayers, incantations, invocations, preambles and valedictions—whatever you like. The gist of it is, they are statements of permission: polite requests and invitations to participate, as well as delineations of boundaries. Ultimately, statements of permission may not have any practical effect, or even be necessary, but, like insurance, they provide many with a peace of mind and a sense of “coverage”—just in case.

So be it, so it is.

Credit for the language and content of the following statements of permission belong to PPI investigator and Co-Director of San Diego Ghost and Paranormal Meet-up, Dave Hanson. David Hanson serves as an historian and curator for the U.S.S. Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum here is San Diego.

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